Prices! Prices! Prices!

[Greg Waite]

Thought I'd share this to those who are interested in what the hunters have to say.

http://www.huntingnet.com//forum/tm.aspx?m=1773685&mpage=1&key=

[Becky P]

That was interesting, at least there are some out there that understand we have to eat too. LOL We ALL need more customers like that and that appreciate our work.

[Jims Wildlife Studio]

It is always interesting to see what customer's say they are paying from state to state rather than the taxidermist's telling each other what they are charging. There's no BS this way.

[Hughiam]

$75 dollars for a squirrel mount?...I hope he got to eat the squirrel....cause he can't afford food.

[Greg Waite]

It's funny that I hear these hunter talking about how they are paying ---- but to hear tell I am the cheap one. I like the one comment about getting what you paid for

[David Patton]

You are lower than most on bears. I wouldn't call it cheap tho'.

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

before I read the article, Who set the prices in our business, the hunters? or the taxidermist?

Now that I read it, it's interesting. At least one fella sticks up for the working taxidermist and that they have to eat also.

[22Fathoms]

I cannot believe how many idiots are under $300.00.  What in the heck?

[Midwesthunts]

I agree with ya fathoms and that was awesome greg thanks for sharing that....

[paul e]

be proud of your work
if your good
dont give your stuff away
i dont
it seams the higher i go
the better the customer also

[taxidermistwife]

Well I have to agree that it was nice to hear customers saying that they know we have to make a living to. In our area they range from $195.00 (crappy) all the way up to $500.00 and honestly I keep hearing that you get what you pay for in some and most cases yes, But I will tell ya one thing we charge to be fair to the customer and my hubby does some of the best work around our area and takes a lot of pride in what he does. He remembers what it felt like before he started doing this years ago and could not afford to have it mounted. So we stay fair to the customer and fair to ourselves. He charges $ 235.00 and I am telling you it ain't no cheap half ass job either. I know one of the ones that charges $500.00 and his work is cheap and you lucky if you have it back in 2 years, I know some people that have had to wait 4 years.

[Becky P]

Taxidermistwife, $235 might seem fair to the customer, but it's NOT fair to you. I went from $235 to $350 over the last two years, no complaints and no lost customers. I'm just a little under the highest here now and in the next two-three years I plan to be the highest. I remember what it felt like too to not be able to afford a mount.  If they want it bad enough they will find a way to get it.
All my customers are driving new vehicles, I want to also.

[taxidermistwife]

Becky P, I never said that we won't have to go up do to supply cost, but i can tell you we still live fine. Not all of our customers are poor and I don't think that anyone should turn a customer away because of what they drive. I drive a nice vehicle no Lexus but don't want one. I have a beautiful home and land, yeah i work outside of our business also but that is because I want to. I guess everyone has there own way of looking at things and neither way is wrong or right!!! I am glad you can charge that and not have any problems. I personally feel that if I was a customer and killed a deer I Will be honest whether I was rich or not I would not pay the best in the world $500.00 to mount my animal and I know how much work goes into them. i am just not that type of person. I love what my husband does and i like having what he has killed and mounted in my house. I am just glad that i have a husband that does this because I just would not put my money there. I am just that tight!!!LOL

[Greg Waite]

$235!!! Be fair to yourself, by the time you take your expenses out you have nothing left. If you want to help your customers that can't afford it, do something like start a payment plan. Have customers that start paying you before they ever shoot a deer, $20 here or there, and if they don't shoot one refund their money at the end of the season. Or let them make payments during the time you have their deer. But you really need to raise your prices. What happens if your husband stops doing taxidermy, your clients are going to be in sticker shock. You sound like my wife, being tight, and there's nothing wrong with that. If I need copper wire, I give my wife a penny and she'll stretch it that thin, But in all seriousness, if your husband does good work he should be at least $350.

[taxidermistwife]

I guess it all depends on what area you are in, i know we do okay and he has quick turn around time, yes his work is very good, he some awards from before we were married that he won on some squirrels and deer. we do work out payment plans with our customers and if they go into sticker shock they have been warned that they will not find this type of work for this price any where.
I am not the one saying to stay at that I am the one saying he needs to go up, but i leave that up to him. As long as we can pay our car and mortgage. One thing that helps us is our overhead is not real high.